Teen jumps to action, saving man who collapsed at restaurant

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A teenager in Central Florida has big news to post on her Facebook page: she saved a man's life while out to eat. It was a dinner outing the family will never forget, eating at a local restaurant Sunday night when they noticed an older man sitting alone having a medical problem. Hillary Courson rushed over and put her arms around him, telling him to talk to her but he collapsed. "I felt everything just fall out of him. There was no movement, no more breath. I turned to my husband and said it is time. You have to call 911."

Stunned patrons moved the man on the floor. Hillary's daughter, Elinor, is a senior at Lake Brantley High School and had CPR training two years ago at summer camp. "My first thought was, I hope someone pipes up saying I am a nurse or doctor and this is what I do for a living, and I realized that wasn't going to happen." She kept pumping on his chest, until a waitress told her the man was starting to move a little. The 17-year-old girl stayed focused. "I started off counting tens. Hoping it would only take ten compressions and stepped it up to 30, and I counted to 30 a dozen times. It took a while."

Paramedics arrived several minutes later and rushed the man to the hospital. The man survived the episode and is recovering. Her parents are proud their daughter sprang into action and saved his life. Her father and I are the proudest parents alive, but I expect nothing less from her," said Hillary.